LANG-PACT: Language for Well-Being

General Overview

What if preserving endangered languages could also preserve the planet?

LANG-PACT explores the vital yet often overlooked connection between linguistic diversity and sustainable well-being. Rooted in the belief that every language carries unique ecological knowledge, cultural memory and ways of being, this project brings together researchers and students from five EUniWell partner universities.

Purpose and Significance

Languages are more than tools for communication – they are living archives of memory, identity and environmental wisdom. Yet, nearly 96% of the world’s languages are spoken by just 3% of its population. Many are vanishing, along with the sustainable practices and worldviews they encode.

LANG-PACT responds to this silent crisis by documenting how linguistic and cultural heritage contributes to personal and collective well-being. The project supports EUniWell’s commitment to multilingualism, inclusion and ecological transition by offering a fresh, interdisciplinary perspective on how linguistic diversity underpins sustainable futures – emotionally, socially and environmentally.

Through filmed interviews, digital storytelling and open-access educational resources, LANG-PACT empowers academic communities and the wider public to rediscover language as a key to environmental resilience, mental health and inclusive education. By engaging diverse voices – from Indigenous speakers to doctoral students – the project invites us to reflect on how language shapes our care for one another and for the world we share.

Photograph of two women sat on the ground talking to a man of east asian ethnicity who is gesturing with his hands. In the background, other people of multicultural ethnicities are sitting on steps and walking past.

Implementation Method and Timeline

Project Partners

  • Inalco (coordination, filming, editing)
  • University of Florence (studio filming)
  • Nantes Université
  • University of Birmingham
  • University of Murcia

Key Activities

Months 1–6: Filming of interviews with experts, early-career researchers, doctoral students and community speakers. Topics include multilingualism and mental health, indigenous knowledge systems, language justice and the preservation of oral traditions.

Months 7–9: Video editing and production of multilingual subtitles to ensure broad accessibility across EUniWell communities.

Months 8–10: Creation of educational resources combining academic content, literary expression and digital storytelling. Materials will be hosted on LaCAS and shared through EUniWell’s communication channels.

Months 10–12: Public events, including hybrid workshops, screenings and thematic discussions – starting with a two-day launch seminar at Inalco involving doctoral students from all partner universities.

Throughout the project, doctoral students act as co-creators, conducting field interviews, contributing to editorial decisions and assisting in the design of pedagogical tools.
 

Expected Outcomes

  • A series of 15 filmed interviews with multilingual subtitles and open-access licensing.
  • A dedicated section on the LaCAS platform: “Languages, Civilisations and Well-Being”.
  • Pedagogical kits and scholarly resources on language, ecology, identity and storytelling.
  • Increased awareness across EUniWell of the links between linguistic diversity and well-being.
  • Pilot modules for future interdisciplinary teaching within the alliance
  • A transnational, student-anchored research community on language and sustainability.
  • Contribution to EUniWell’s broader goals in open science and digital humanities.
     

Further Information

All outcomes will be published on:

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